Breaking the IA Bee-line

[Flubber]

I will sometimes deviate from the ind auto beeline . .. I don't necessarily think it is "Best" but it can be fun.

The only things I try to get first are centauri ecology or sometimes I will go get doc flex ( usually if playing a green faction where there is hope of acquiring a navy). The doc flex deviation is a pretty large one and I don't recommend it if you are playing builder style but if I am trying to be a momentum player or if I am trying to gain a role as tech broker, it can be a fun deviation. Again, I don't think it is BEST but it can be fun way to change up the game a bit

With Morgan or uni I will usually for ind auto immediately although I have gone centauri ecology first if the terrain totally sucks. Other factions are slower to ind auto so I usually make centauri ecology one of my first techs

[livid imp]

I usually start off with Cent Eco to start forming first thing. I start roads and forest so that my crawlers will have something to crawl. Seems that if you make crawlers before forests you would only have single mineral (undeveloped rocky and rolling) sites to crawl. Where as planting forests pays off not only when you start crawling mins, but also to give you something for your workers to work in the mean time.

Am I missing something here?

[Santiago_Claus]

I go CE first, so as to plant forest early, leveraging the early growth of forest. It's kinda like earning interest.

[Jamski]

Actually... I normally find that in the Ind Eco Bee Line I'm forced to chose another tech at some point, so Cent Eco is picked up then.

-Jam

[livid imp]

Hmm. I have been using Uni for a while and I can bee-line straight to IA. I'll have to try a different faction and see if I get the same results

[Chaos Theory]

livid imp: If you'll notice, according to Jamski, before you have forests, use crawlers on rivers + FM for 2 energy each, rather than 1 mineral each.

[Minute Mirage]

Originally posted by livid imp
Hmm. I have been using Uni for a while and I can bee-line straight to IA. I'll have to try a different faction and see if I get the same results

This depends on a few factors such as the slot of the faction (1-7), the number of starting techs for the faction, the way the game was set up (MP games can differ from SP games) and whether you get any techs from trading. There was a thread about this a while ago (Beelining to Industrial Automation, IIRC).

[Frankychan]

I also choose Centauri Ecology as my first tech...but what Jamski is saying might have some merit....take the other tech first, THEN pick up CE later.

....I still don't like the fact that I'm operating on tiles alone w/no improvements to them though.

[Frankychan]

Sorry for not adding this in...

....but I find that forests sometimes take over tiles that are better suited for farms or mines.

I'd rather plant forests in arid squares so you get some use out of them.

[Jamski]

livid imp: If you'll notice, according to Jamski, before you have forests, use crawlers on rivers + FM for 2 energy each, rather than 1 mineral each.

An extra 2 ecs means a LOT in the early game - faster beeline to IA, and more cash to rush stuff. I'd rather take 2 ecs than 1 mineral... although it only seems to take a moment (1-4 turns) before you can shift that crawler onto minerals.

Of course - the first crawlers should go onto any specials you have lying about, which can then be terraformed while they are worked.

-Jam

[livid imp]

Curiously...Jam, what do you do if you land in a all moist with no rivers area?

[Adalbertus]

Centauri Ecology (which is nearly always my first tech) and Bioengineering. For Formers, Rec Tanks and two SPs. I like SPs, especially if I've got them.

Originally posted by RX2000
Forgive my stupidity, but is IA Industrial Automation? If so, why is it so important to get that? Hab complexes to get above 7 pop quickly?

In fact, there are seven reasons:
- crawlers
- crawlers
- crawlers
- crawlers
and I forgot about the last three.
It is impossible to overstress the importance of crawlers.

[Jamski]

Curiously...Jam, what do you do if you land in a all moist with no rivers area?

Isn't it Ctrl-Shift-N for a new map, same settings?

But you almost ALWAYS find a river near the HQ base or two.

-Jam

[livid imp]

ctrl-shift-n it is then

[Santiago_Claus]

Forest growing onto tiles you intend to build something else on can be harvested for 5 minerals to the home base of the terraformer. That's something you WANT to happen.

But you're right about planting on arid tiles -- forest is forest, might as well plant it on a crappy tile instead of a good one.